Testing 1, 2, GP

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As if on cue, the area in which I work has just started to roll out a new software for GPs to request imaging from our local hospitals. No more longhand forms with blank spaces to write typo-filled reasons why this patient with a chronic headache may warrant a CT-scan. Instead doctors now have to run through a number of questions to submit their request.

So how was a real-time introduction of an order communication system in primary care? Let me take you through…

Training

An 8 minute YouTube video taking you through a shared screen presentation of how to order an investigation from the electronic record system (ERS) that we use. Not bad, I don’t think I need someone in-person holding my hand taking me through or anything longer.

Process

It took at least 10 clicks to submit the request, with some previously overlooked fields now mandatory e.g. prompts to justify the patient’s exposure to ionising radiation. Quite a lot of clicks and drop downs compared to basic text input of the old emailed document.

Advantages

  • The software has more integrated features - I can see recent requested imaging in the same place I’m ordering the test and the results feed back into our ERS directly. I can also see the status of the request e.g. is it pending or completed, which is reassuring compared to emailing a document into the ether.

  • Autopopulating a lot of the answers from the patient’s health record is a great feature and could be revolutionary if it eventually automatically imports blood tests and relevant information without the doctor having to look this up themselves. Real potential here…

Disadvantages

  • Transition to a new system is always a strain and I know there will be some patients who will be caught out. Undoubtedly some old referrals will be rejected or missed during the switch to the new electronic system.

  • The UX could be improved. There are still quite a lot of little clicks and decisions, which at the end of a full clinic, I have little patience for. Sometimes freestyle form-filling is preferable to the ‘all fields must be completed’ computer pedantry.

  • I haven’t pushed the system yet, but sometimes a doctor’s request doesn’t tick all the boxes. My reasons may not fit all the guidelines but I still want a test done. I wonder whether the current software will allow for blurred lines or if it is too rigid in its specifications? Watch this space…